Thursday, September 19, 2013

My Character is GayAs a Historical Romance Author, Imagine my Surprise When I Realized That my Character was Gay.~Lynn Hubbard

As a Historical Romance Author, I put much depth into my characters. Even the minor ones. I like to create a background for them, who they are, where do they come from, why are they there?

Imagine my surprise when I realized that my character was gay.

You would think I would have noticed it before.

The subtle clues, their reactions to each other, and certain situations.

But no.

I was oblivious until my main character, Sarah, caught him sneaking out of a man’s room in the middle of the night.

To complicate matters, War of Hearts is set in 1776, even women were oppressed back then. Much less a gay man. So it seems to reason that it would be kept a secret.

From everyone.

Even me.

Sure they tried to keep it quiet, but after that night, I was more aware. And more than a bit shocked. And then quiet acceptance, the character hadn’t changed. But my view of the character had. And I needed to let them know that it did not matter.

That this new realization did not harm our relationship. That I still saw them as a moral, devoted human being. One with strength and feelings. One that fought more desperately, and risked more for love than perhaps any of my other characters. Later on, as our trust deepened, the gaps were filled in: how they met, became companions, built a relationship of trust, as well as love.

And it was okay.

And their secret became mine.

Of course this isn’t the first unusual relationship in my stories. In Run into the Wind, my main character is a cross dresser. And the man of her dreams, battles with his emotions, as he is still attracted to her/him.

Perhaps, people aren’t attracted by the persona, but by their soul. I have often contemplated there being a soulmate for everyone. And who are we to say what color, creed, or sex they should be?

So whether it is 1776 or 2013, Tory or Rebel, hearts should have no bounds.